This Pizza Express is a large, modern location, located opposite the Leeds Arena. I find this restaurant to be much more visually pleasing than many of Pizza Express' other sites, with the open kitchen cantered across the restaurant, a bar area towards the right side, and a modern, vibrant colour scheme, although that is sadly where most of the positives seem to end.
The staff here seem super friendly, especially the man who helped serve me (possibly a manager?)
I ordered my usual order from Pizza Express, starting with the gluten-free dough balls and then followed by the Pollo Pancetta. I was disappointed with the food overall.
My gluten-free dough balls were served stone cold in the middle, which was a rather nasty surprise on my first bite! My second portion of dough balls was served really overcooked. I don't understand how a place that is known for its dough balls can't serve anything between stone cold and burnt.
Moving onto my pizza, sadly it wasn't much better, the pancetta was burned and had gone chewy and beyond crispy, meanwhile the passata was messy and could have been cooked in, the pizza again was ruined due to being drenched with the garlic oil, I normally love how this complements the pizza, however, it sadly became so strong, the pizza tasted like an oily, garlicky mess - It certainly looked a lot better than it tasted!
I was one of two customers dining in the restaurant for a period of just under an hour of which I spent here, so they didn't seem to be busy overall.
Another point is, I was only given a glass of water at first despite asking for a pitcher, they did eventually swap it over after I'd finished my glass. I always prefer getting the pitcher as it means you don't have to keep asking for more, and can focus on the meal at hand.
The location is good for both Leeds city centre and the Leeds Arena, but you could have the best location in the world, if the food isn't up to scratch then it's a somewhat tourist trap.
2* - The extra star is mainly for the few positives including the availability of promotional offers and the staff, as well as the look/feel of the restaurant. read more